A Stolen Evening
by MsTressPetrova
Summary: Having returned to New Orleans to settle his mind, Klaus finds an unexpected visitor in the city and finds himself pleasantly diverted in showing her the sights of the Big Easy. A one shot, Klaroline fiction set after current events of Season 4 (American Gothic) of The Vampire Diaries.


The bars and clubs on Bourbon Street were full as usual and an array of drunken and curious revelers filled the streets. Klaus moved through them easily, perusing the crowd as if he were searching for a bottle of the most decadent and obscure wine. He chose to dodge the crowd and enter one of the more lively bars, hoping to find a place to get a quick drink and be on his way. However, a familiar face gave him pause.

What was Caroline doing miles away from home in all places sitting at the bar he randomly chose at this particular moment?

It was almost too much of a coincidence and he decided to shrug it off as a residual hallucination from the previous Silas shenanigans. That was until he heard the exchange in her unmistakeable high and demanding tone.

"Look, I don't have to show you my ID, just hand over the drink and I'll be on my way."

Caroline smiled knowingly at the bartender, giving him the full eye contact needed for a successful vampire compulsion. The bartender smiled back at her in a daze. He made the beverage robotically, never taking his eyes from hers. Caroline reached out to take it from the bartender as it was handed to her, only to be surprised by the glass being snatched away before her hand could connect. She turned angrily to give the thief a piece of her mind, only to find herself face to face with Klaus.

Glass in hand, he took a sip and made a face. "You know, that git really does not know how to make a decent mojito. I've had better."

"Oh, no doubt you invented them yourself in Puerto Rico out of rum you commissioned from your own mindless slaves, right?" Caroline retorted tartly.

"Close, but they weren't my slaves, more like companions." He smiled, setting the drink down on the counter and leaning on the bar towards her. "And it wasn't Puerto Rico it was -"

"Ok! Stop!" Caroline interrupted, "What are you doing here and how did you find me?" She backed away from Klaus slightly, looking around the bar for other threats she may have initially missed. Klaus followed her gaze and made a guess as to what she was concerned about, "There's only me. I don't have a pack with me if that's what you're concerned about." He answered her easily and was making an effort to help her relax. Caroline's tension lessened slightly but she was still waiting for the answer. It was obvious that she considered his presence there more astounding than hers.

Klaus simply said, "I come here sometimes. Technically, you're on my territory, love. You're here with a purpose I assume. Something having to do with your ever-loving boyfriend."

Caroline tensed again and zipped up the jacket she was wearing. "Maybe. But how do you know I'm not just here to see the sights? You know.. explore the world.. and stuff. Senior trip?" She picked up her clutch and turned to avoid having to look at him.

Klaus laughed and tilted his head, "Ah, right, Senior trip. Where's the rest of your gang then? Bonnie, Matt, Elena? ...Tyler? He's not here. If he was I'd have found him and been done with him by now. You'd have better luck looking for him in a ditch."

Hatred flashed through her eyes and he immediately wished he had not finished that last statement. He grabbed Caroline's arm as she went to turn away sharply.

"Look, while you're here, let me at least show you the city. It would be my pleasure. Then you can move on to wherever you wish on your little 'Senior Trip.'"

Caroline eyed him skeptically and looked down at his hand grasping her arm. "First off, you can get your hand off of me. Second, what makes you think I would stick around long enough to let you show me around like I'm a silly tourist?"

"Because you are a tourist, Caroline," Klaus simply answered. She had no argument and he knew it. While Caroline was undoubtedly here searching for Tyler, the ridiculous boy she chose to call her boyfriend, she had never been this far away from her hometown of Mystic Falls. He knew she couldn't resist his offer, no matter how badly she wanted to. He could see the thought process cross her face and the inner fight to flat out refuse him.

"Fine." she said shortly, "But only for tonight."

"Perfect." Klaus said with satisfaction, trying to hide his smile at her stubborn acceptance. "Come along, then."

He moved to put his arm around her to usher her out of the bar and on to the crowded street outside. Caroline went along with his guidance and made a visible effort to hide her excitement of being in a new place. And New Orleans was not just any place - the city was full of history, life and art. Everything that Klaus had promised her she would have a chance to see. He intended to make the most of the night he had and give Caroline a taste of what she had been missing.

They walked along the street, turning down a road labeled "St. Peter" and passing a strange shop with its doors open. Inside Caroline could see an array of strange items, items that she assumed were used for voodoo and other nefarious purposes.

"Bonnie would love this," she said, more to herself than to her current companion. Klaus gave her a half smile and attempted to keep them moving when Caroline squealed excitedly, "They do tarot readings! I have to get one! Please?" At his skeptical expression, she added, "I had Bonnie do mine ages ago, but I really didn't believe her then. This would be authentic."

With a sigh, Klaus said, "Of course, indulge yourself. But if you want an accurate reading, I have friends here that could tell you a lot more than the self-proclaimed seer in there can."

She ignored everything he had said after he had uttered 'Of course.' The joy on her face was easy to enjoy, and he watched as she entered the establishment and queried about the advertised readings. Unfortunately, the psychic was in the middle of the final session and planned to close shop once it was over. Caroline was disappointed but elected to take a look around the shop. She settled on purchasing a set of elaborately illustrated tarot cards soon after. An odd choice, Klaus thought, but this was her time to do as she pleased and if she wanted tarot cards, she could have them.

Klaus decided he would start her off in the Garden District with a tour of the famous Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. It was a bit of turn around from the French Quarter but he figured that Caroline would enjoy riding one of the famous street cars to their destination. His calculation was correct and he relished every moment watching her experience the city in such a mundane way. The gates of the cemetery were closed when they arrived but this posed no problem for them. The caretaker was easy enough to compel to allow their entrance and they took their time strolling amongst the crypts and dilapidated stones. Caroline looked in wonder at her surroundings and walked with her arms folded tightly across herself. Klaus let her silence rest and walked beside her amiably.

"I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me," he said, softly. "I don't know what I would have done without your assistance. You distracted me and I needed that."

Caroline looked at him with what he assumed was a semblance of sympathy. She began to open her mouth to say something but then shook her head and thought better of it. She continued to walk through the rows of the dead and made her way back to the opposite gate that they had initially entered. Klaus followed her and intended to ask her what she would like to see next when she turned to him and asked, "Can we go somewhere we can sit down and talk? Somewhere we won't have to worry about others hearing?"

She looked uncertain and would have most likely changed her mind had Klaus not agreed immediately, "Absolutely, I have the perfect place."

They continued to walk until they reached the destination, a familiar shrill voice ringing through the air.

"And here you see the famous LaLaurie Mansion! It is rumored to be cursed and one of the most haunted buildings in New Orleans," the tour guide exclaimed to the staring crowd of people.

Caroline and Klaus had snuck into the throng and Caroline was listening with unabashed interest. Klaus looked at her, taking in her features and enjoying seeing her take a moment to just be.

"When the mansion suffered a fire, unspeakable horrors were found inside…" Klaus was not listening to the paid woman drone on about the details he knew by heart, and some more intimately than others. He had known Madame LaLaurie in the past and on occasion attended her grande soirees. Caroline was wrinkling her nose in distaste as the atrocities were listed for the fascination of the crowd. The tour was ending and the tour guide was leading the group towards a bar located away from the ominous building. Klaus and Caroline remained where they were, the both of them deep in thought and taking in the site of the beautiful real estate. Caroline tore her eyes away from across the street and turned to Klaus.

"Here? You wanted to talk here? On the street outside of a famous building?" Caroline asked incredulously.

"No, love. I wanted to talk *inside* of the building." Klaus answered her.

"What? I am *so* not breaking into that place." Caroline retorted.

"We won't be breaking in," Klaus informed her, an amused smile crossing over his lips.

Caroline groaned. "Don't tell me. You own this place?"

"Among others, though officially there's somewhat of mystery as to who the actual owner could be around here. I like to keep it that way. Shall we?" Klaus intoned to her, holding out his hand for her to follow.

Caroline opted not to take his hand but stepped forward cautiously as if even getting closer to the lugubrious building would somehow cause a specter to rise and attack her. They crossed the street and Klaus led her to the entrance, pulling a small set of keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and made the gesture that she should enter first. Caroline took it as a challenge and stepped inside defiantly. The room was completely dark, the only light coming in through a surprisingly clean window to the right. It was devoid of decoration and furniture, not exactly the most welcoming of places. She continued walking through the room and entered a hallway that she assumed led to other rooms within the mansion. Klaus followed her slowly, giving her no indication of what she might find or where she was supposed to be going.

The first room she entered opened up into a larger space, more windows lined the walls and she realized this must be the corner room that looked down onto the street below. This room was also devoid of any indication that anyone visited this place. Klaus followed her and positioned himself beside her.

"How do you like it?" he asked softly.

"It's a bunch of rooms. They're great," she answered sarcastically.

"Are you frightened to be here, after what you heard about the place earlier?" he queried. She only gave the slightest of indications that it bothered her or that she had even thought about the crimes that had been committed in the property upon stepping inside.

"I'm ok. Besides, I have you here to protect me if any evil ghosts decide they don't like me here." she said, her tone subtly flirtatious.

Klaus was taken aback. The last thing he expected apart from Caroline being here was her to be any sort of mood to banter with him, whether it be lighthearted or otherwise. He decided he would play along and indulge her in whatever it was that she was wanting to discuss.

"You said you wanted to talk about something away from others. So talk," he said, a little more briskly than he intended.

She gave him an arch look and he worried for a moment that she may leave. But she found a place she liked on the floor near the the windows and she sat down with her legs splayed out in front of her. She leaned her body against the wall and then patted the hard wood floor next to her in an invitation to sit. Klaus obliged and sat down. He waited for her to start the conversation that would undoubtedly relate to finding Tyler or some other nonsense that he was not in the mood to entertain, ever.

"What's it like?" she began, only waiting a moment before she continued, "I mean, what's it like, living so long, seeing so many things, losing friends and family. How do you keep going?"

He looked at her with sympathetic eyes, she was so young. He wasn't sure what knowledge to offer her - whether there was anything to say that would enlighten her or at least not make her angry. He chose his words carefully. "It's like living. You take one day at a time and do what makes you happy."

"I suppose ruining people's lives is what makes you happy," she muttered.

"If it's a means to an end, yes." Klaus stared at her, and he could tell Caroline didn't know what to say to the abrupt honesty. It was clear she was a little unsure of where she was going with the conversation. It was not her intention to barb him into an argument, something that their interactions constantly ended in. She wanted to have moment where she could pretend that Klaus wasn't the root of all of her current problems and just another guy that she found easy to converse with.

Instead of continuing on and making things further awkward, she pulled out the pack of tarot cards she had purchased earlier and opened the box. She began spreading the cards out on to the floor. She set them so their faces were up and she could examine the artwork of each card. The deck she'd picked was decorated with a stylized art nouveau theme and every card looked like a miniature stained glass window. She picked up one that depicted a dark haired woman dressed in classical Grecian robes holding a pomegranate that had been sliced in half. In the background one half of the glass was painted with a winter scene, the other half a beautiful field filled with flowers in bloom. The card was labeled "The Empress" and Caroline looked at it thoughtfully. Klaus reached and clasped the card as well, "That is Persephone. She was the Queen of the Underworld and bride to Hades himself." he said softly to her.

Caroline turned to look at him. "I know who Persephone is..." she said awkwardly, "She was kidnapped or something, right?"

"In a way," Klaus replied. "She was said to be one of the most beautiful women and the daughter of the Goddess Demeter. It's no wonder that Hades simply couldn't help himself. He had to have her." He was staring intently at Caroline now, wanting her to return his gaze.

"So just because some powerful evil guy thought she was pretty, it was okay for him to just take her back to his place and keep her there against her will?" Caroline asked. Klaus smiled.

"He did give her a choice, Caroline." he said, his left hand reached out and he touched her hair gently. She still refused to meet his gaze, staying focused on the regal captive woman on the card. But after a few moments, she lifted her eyes to scan his face. Her expression was perplexed at best, and he knew she recognized the parallel.

"But did he *really* give her a choice?" she asked. "Because it sounds to me like he kind of tricked her and then forced his company on her."

Klaus chuckled. "I'll admit, it wasn't the 'smoothest of moves' on his part." he said jokingly. "But he genuinely cared about her and was willing to do anything to keep her by his side, even resort to trickery. Even if it meant that she would never really love him or think of him kindly."

Caroline was unable to find something witty to say in reply. Instead she stared back and fought the urge to turn her face away. The impulse was too strong and she began to move away when Klaus placed his hand on her cheek and moved her back to face him.

"I would do anything to keep you near me, Caroline," he said.

She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off swiftly by a press of lips. Her eyes widened for a moment and he thought she may fight him. But soon she relaxed and allowed him to press her back against the wall as he leaned into her. He placed a hand on her upper arm and his other hand moved back into her hair, cradling her head in his palm.

Caroline felt warm inside. A small feeling of panic arose inside of her, not from the fact that she was letting Klaus kiss her, but panic that she was actually enjoying it. Klaus' hand moved to the back of her neck, her head tilted to the right and her body relaxed into the moment. His lips moved over hers with skill, his tongue lightly teasing the edge of her lip and moving to entwine with hers. He pressed himself against her and deepened the embrace along with the kiss. She moaned softly and moved her hands up the length of his back.

Reluctantly, Klaus broke the kiss and leaned back to look at Caroline. Her eyelids were heavy but underneath there was vague surprise. She scooted away from him towards the wall and hugged her arms around herself protectively. They both stood silently awkward for a few moments, both searching for what to say.

"Thank you, Klaus," she started breathily, pausing briefly to look at him. "For the tour of the city, I mean."

"No, Caroline. Thank you." Klaus answered.

Caroline moved slightly, gathering the tarot cards that were still strewn about the floor and placing them back into the box. She stood up slowly and adjusted her jacket and hair before walking across the room to the exiting hallway. Klaus was as still as a painting as he watched her move away from him.

Caroline stopped at the door. "I'm leaving tonight, so I won't be seeing you around."

Klaus nodded and she appeared as though she wanted to say more. But then she thought better of it, and she turned abruptly and left.

A single card was left abandoned on the floor, the card with the painting of the dark haired Empress, Persephone. Klaus picked it up and smiled. The dark haired woman on the card seemed to look back at him in a conspiratorial manner. But in his mind, she had a halo of golden hair and a secretive smile.


End file.
